Several Austin area hospitals received A and B grades. Here's which ones got a C
Patient satisfaction scores at hospitals nationwide are improving for the first time since the pandemic, according to the spring 2024 safety survey from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit that has been offering analyses of hospitals' safety records for 12 years. Infection rates at hospitals also have steadily improved since the pandemic.
The safety survey assigns a letter grade to each hospital based on data from a hospital survey the nonprofit conducts and from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services information.
The grades consider infection control, staffing levels, leadership structures, use of medication bar codes, computerized physician orders, hand hygiene, doctor and nurse communications, staff responsiveness and discharge information.
The Austin metro area ranked 17th with 53.3% of its hospitals making an A grade. The Allentown, Pennsylvania, area was No. 1.
The bad news: the Austin area now has four hospitals receiving a C grade: Dell Seton Medical Center, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Lakeway, Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Pflugerville and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Round Rock.
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No Austin-area hospitals received a D or F.
Baylor Scott & White Health noted that its Round Rock hospital received five out of five stars on performance from CMS. "We are committed to providing safe, high-quality care, and we closely and continuously measure our performance across a variety of objective systems and metrics considered strong indicators of patient safety," the hospital system said in a statement.
Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas said it recognizes the value of the Leapfrog survey and will take the feedback seriously. "We are committed to continuously improving our quality programs and safety protocols, including ongoing robust monitoring of patient quality and safety indicators, reducing hospital acquired conditions and employing enhanced technology solutions," the hospital said in a statement.
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How did your hospital rank?
These received A grades:
Austin: Ascension Seton Medical Center, Ascension Seton Northwest Medical Center and St. David's North Austin Medical Center
Cedar Park: Cedar Park Regional Medical Center.
Kyle: Ascension Seton Hays Medical Center
Round Rock: Ascension Seton Williamson Medical Center
Georgetown: St. David's Georgetown Hospital
San Marcos: Christus Santa Rosa Hospital San Marcos
These received B grades:
Austin: St. David's Medical Center and St. David's South Austin Medical Center
Marble Falls: Baylor Scott & White Medical Center
Round Rock: St. David's Round Rock Medical Center
These received C grades:
Austin: Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas
Lakeway: Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Lakeway
Pflugerville: Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Pflugerville
Round Rock: Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Round Rock
Don't see your hospital on the list? The Leapfrog Group doesn't rank free-standing pediatric hospitals such as Dell Children's or Texas Children's Hospital. It also doesn't rank specialty hospitals or those with multiple categories of information missing. There were no rankings for Ascension Seton Southwest Medical Center or Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Austin.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Many Austin area hospitals receive A and B grades. Which ones got a C?
